Cause and Effect
by smileyjunior
Summary: A must-read, with the return of Seth McAdams.  Actions you've made in the past... they will always have an effect.  Even if they wait four years to take place.
1. Chapter 1

"Please state your name for the court."

She breathed in, and swallowed deeply, trying to make her voice not shake,

"Calleigh Duquesne."

"Calleigh Duquesne," the woman repeated, "Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do."

The woman gestured for Calleigh to take a seat on the stand. She walked over slowly, breathing in and out, trying not to let her nerves get the best of her. The defense attorney stood up and made his way over to the stand, clutching a folder in his right hand.

"Ms. Duquesne, do you recognize this man?" From the folder he took out a mug shot,

Calleigh winced briefly then nodded. The man showed the photo to the jury and said

"Ms. Duquesne would you please identify this man?"

"Seth McAdams."

"And how do you know this man?"

She paused, not believing she was going to have to say this in front of a whole court.

"Six years ago Seth McAdams and another subject abducted me, and forced me to cover up a crime they believed they had commited."

The courtroom was dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. The defense attorney didn't falter, he pushed on,

"So it's fair to say, you would want revenge?"

"No sir."

"No?"

The defense attorney stared at her… his cold eyes locking eye contact with her green eyes.

"The two subjects were arrested, and were sentenced to time in prison."

"But he, Mr. McAdams, he got early release. Didn't he? On September 2nd 2012?"

A brief flashback of the day she had received the news… she would never forget that feeling of dread she had felt that day.

"Yes sir."

The defense attorney took out a crime scene photo and continued, "And exactly 7 days after his release, on September 9th 2012, he ended up dead didn't he?"

Calleigh looked at the photo. Seth McAdams was on the ground, blood pouring from three holes in his chest. Calleigh nodded.

"You were with him on the day he was killed, were you not Ms. Duquesne?"

She swallowed "Yes I was."

"Could you please elaborate that statement, Ms. Duquesne?"

Calleigh looked around the court room, familiar faces looked back up at her. Her co-workers, her friends. Finally she said,

"I shot Seth McAdams on September 9th 2012."

A brief murmur was heard throughout the courtroom, Calleigh locked eye contact with Horatio Caine's, his blue eyes a comfort to her, almost assuring her she was doing the right things. Then she looked at Eric… he looked so sad and yet he was trying to look brave for her. And she felt terrible, this was all her fault. The judge took her gavel,

"Order!"

The courtroom was silent once again, the defesnse attorney pressed on

"Please describe and explain all the events that led up to the shooting."

She didn't want to have to relive the ordeal, but she knew she would have to.

"This all started on September 2nd 2012…"

_Okay, so from here on the story will take place in the past except when indicated 'kay? Hope you like it!_


	2. Chapter 2

September 2nd 2012

Horatio had just called the entire team for a brief meeting. Everyone had reported into work that morning so far, except for Calleigh, which Horatio could not be more grateful for. Walter, Natalia, Eric, and Ryan came into the layout room, apparently in mid conversation. But they all grew silent when they saw the expression on Horatio's face. He didn't look worried or concerned, but really just alert. It was an expression the team had seen rarely, and when they had seen it, it was when a serious situation was about to be brought to their attention. Horatio dove right into what he needed to say,

"Most of you recall a man named Seth McAdams."

The team looked confused. Of course they knew who this man was. Even Walter, who hadn't been working at CSI four years ago knew who he was, and what he had done. Natalia decided to press on, "What about him H?"

"He was released from prison earlier today."

That's when he did allow a moment to pass to let that news sink in. The team was taken aback, they couldn't believe this. After the silence, Horatio said "Calleigh doesn't know yet. We need to be the ones to tell her, 'kay gang? We got lucky, she isn't here yet, but she should be any minute now."

They waited in silence. Going over in their heads how to break the news, but no matter how they phrased it, it just didn't sound sympathetic enough. They heard her coming, her voice carrying down the hall and into the room, they all braced and adjusted themselves. They tried to leave their faces emotionless. She came into the room, a bright smile on her face, "Morning ya'll." She looked at each one of them and her smile faded. She could tell something was wrong. "What's going on?"

The team exchanged glances with one another, the Horatio stepped forward and put a hand on one of her shoulders saying, "Seth McAdams was released from prison this morning."

Calleigh's face drained of all color, she stood in shock not believing what she was hearing. She tried to say something but found she couldn't speak. She felt her heart beat pick up, and beat against her rib cage. She tried to swallow but found there was a lump in her throat, what was she feeling? Dread. Absolute dread.

Eric stepped forward along with Horatio and reached out for her other shoulder "Cal- -" but the moment he touched her she flinched and crossed her arms, taking a step back away from both of them. Then she just turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Eric looked to Horatio for support, but he just shook his head,

"Give her time."

Eric was at a loss for words. He just nodded and left. Horatio looked at the rest of his team. Each one of them stared back at him. His eyes met the floor, "Okay gang. Time to get to work." They all tried to re-maintain themselves, they knew they would have to. They had a job to do, and unfortunately, that job took the priority over personal emotions. Horatio continued, "We have a DB in the Everglades, Tom should be on his way there now, I need at least 2 or 3 of you to head out that way. Then I need 1 or 2 of you to stay here and complete some lab work. Alright?" They all nodded in unison, "Check-in with me in about 45 minutes."

* * *

><p>Calleigh leaned against one of the lockers, processing what had just happened. She honestly had no idea of what to do. How could she? She felt in her gut she should just hold her head up high and not let her emotions get in the way. But then she also felt that sense of dread, and fear. What if something were to happen? No… she couldn't jump to that conclusion. For all she knew, McAdams wasn't even in Miami. She couldn't let this get to her. And what the hell just happened? Storming out on the team, on the verge of tears, why did she do that?<p>

She stood up straight and made sure she had pulled herself completely together, then she made her way out of the room.

* * *

><p>Ryan, Walter, and Natalia made the decision they should be the ones to go out to the scene; Eric and Calleigh could do the lab work. Ryan was driving, down a rather bumpy road and Walter's head collided with the ceiling for the fourth or fifth time, and Natalia was clutching onto the dashboard for dear life. "Why the hell are you driving like a maniac?" she screamed finally.<p>

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me make a quick complaint to Mother Nature about the nature of the roads!"

"I'm pretty sure the roads out here are man made," Walter chimed in "I don't think Mother Nature was expecting humans to put roads in the middle of a marsh."

Ryan rolled his eyes and made a sharp turn. Natalia, who was starting to feel uneasy decided to start a conversation about what had happened that morning, "I can't believe McAdams is out." They all became silent. Natalia had said what they had all been thinking, why was he out? "I mean, you'd think that they'd purposefully wouldn't release him, because of what he did."

"Yeah…" said Walter "It's just not right, or fair. Especially to Calleigh. Did you see her? I've never seen that type of reaction from her before."

"Me neither." said Ryan, "And I hope I never have to again."

On that note, no one spoke again until they made it out to the crime scene, where Tom Loman waved with a hand shouting something. They started to get out of the Hummer when Tom finally came over and said "False alarm. There's no crime scene, or a dead body."

"What?" Walter exclaimed, "But we all got a call out, you got the call-out."

"What some punk teens thought was a body, turned out to be the rotting corpse of a alligator. Sorry to waste your time folks."

Ryan started to walk back towards the Hummer "Don't be sorry. It was a fun drive, right guys?"

Natalia snatched the keys from his hand, "I'm driving."

* * *

><p>Calleigh made her way over to DNA where Eric was labeling some samples. When he saw her approaching he put down what he was working on, "Hey," he said "you okay?"<p>

She smiled a little and nodded "Yeah I'm fine. Just had to take a moment to myself." He nodded, not knowing how to react or what to do. An awkward moment of silence passed until she finally said "Do you know where Horatio is?"

"Yeah, um… I think he's in trace."

"Okay, thanks." And with that she left, Eric about to say something but not being able to.

Horatio was waiting for her, he gave her a smile and she smiled back. Then he said "You okay?"

She nodded again as she had just done with Eric, "Yeah I'm fine. I just really want to get to work."

The smile on his face slowly faded, "Calleigh I'd really like for you to take the day off…"

Now her smile was gone. She couldn't believe what she was hearing he hadn't even asked her if she wanted to or not, he had basically… ordered her to. "Horatio, that not really necessary…"

"Please," he intervened "Go home, and have some time to yourself. You can start up right again tomorrow morning."

She knew he meant well but she couldn't help but feel miffed. She nodded, pursing her lips, and heading for the locker room. After gathering her things, she left. Horatio watched as she pulled out of the parking lot, and headed home, then he put on his sunglasses and headed down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

She felt some sort of uneasiness as she was driving down the road. The brief anger she had felt at Horatio was now gone, and she realized she was more upset with herself. Horatio sending her home, would mean she'd actually have to face the issue that McAdams was out of prison, and she unsure of what her own reaction would be. But now there was a separate feeling of uneasiness, and she didn't like it one bit. A black Sudan with tinted windows was in her rearview mirror. She saw the outline of the driver and was trying to make out his or her face when suddenly she collided with something in front of her, and then the Sudan collided into her.

Her head bounced off of the steering wheel when she came into contact with the car in front of her. When the Sudan collided into her car, her head bounced off of the cushion behind her. Instinctively, she put her hand to her forehead, where the steering wheel would or had undoubtedly left a bruise. With her other hand she opened her car door, and started to get out, only to be nearly thrown back in when a car zoomed by nearly taking her car door off the hinges. That's when she looked across the street, and saw a familiar face staring back at her.

Her heart sank, and she grew cold. She felt paralyzed, she couldn't move, she felt an enormous wave of fear come over her. A wave of cars obstructed her view for 2 seconds, and when the street was clear again, the person was gone. She then noticed someone was knocking on her window, saying something to her… but their voice was muffled.

"Ma'm? Ma'm are you okay?"

It was the driver of the Sudan, a young woman. A older man had come out of the car in front of her, yelling and cursing about the damage to his vehicle. Calleigh tried to clear her head, she started to stand up and make her way out of the car. Her hand still held to her forehead came down momentarily and showed blood. She put her hand up back to the wound. The woman was still asking the same question, and the man was still ranting. After a moment Calleigh finally said, "Yes I'm fine. Thank-you."

She made it to her feet and swayed for a moment, leaning up against her car. She made her way to the front and looked at the damage to the man's car and her own. Then she did the same with the other car. "I've already called the police…" said the woman, "They should be here any moment." And sure enough, as if on cue, came the sound of sirens in the distance. She reached into her car and picked up her purse, retrieving her badge and lab I.D. the woman gasped when she saw the credentials "You're a cop?" Calleigh shook her head,

"CSI, bit different…" The older man was still going on and on, Calleigh made her way over to him "Sir I'm very sorry about the damage- -"

"What the hell were ya thinkin'? Huh? Do you have eyes? I mean what kind of an idiot would- -" At that point she walked away, she had done her part, and if this guy wanted to go on and complain until his heart's desire she would let him.

The first to come was a patrol car, she didn't know this particular officer and flashed her I.D. and badge for him. He wrote down her statement but then insisted she wait for the ambulance, he also wanted to make sure she was real law enforcement. She wondered if she should dial Horatio… then she decided against it.

When the ambulance pulled up, a EMT walked Calleigh over to the back of the ambulance. After about 10 minutes the EMT said she'd have to do stitches for the cut in her forehead, Calleigh tried to protest but the EMT wouldn't hear of it. They were waiting for the patrol officer to give her the 'ok' to leave. Calleigh's car would be taken to an impound lot.

The patrol officer returned and said, "Alright you're free to go. You've checked out. I got in touch with a Lt. Horatio Caine through a Detective Frank Tripp who both confirmed you are law enforcement." Calleigh just nodded and smiled holding back her thought _Really checking all your bases here, aren't ya skippy?_ She then thanked him and went with the EMT to the hospital.

* * *

><p>Sitting in the Emergency Room of Dade Memorial Hospital, Calleigh was thinking about her day thus far. And she had to admit, it had been pretty shitty. What with Seth McAdams getting released from prison, her being sent home early because of whatever 'emotional or mental state' she was in, then causing the wreck of not one, but 3 separate cars, and now stiches being sewn into her forehead. And it wasn't even noon.<p>

It didn't hurt at all, in fact she barely noticed it because she was so deep in thought. The nurse just said she would numb the area, there would be a slight pinch and that would be that. And she was right. Calleigh started to gather up her things and head for the check out counter when she noticed Horatio standing by the door. She braced herself, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and she made her way over to him,

"Ms. Duquesne." He said.

"Lieutenant." She replied.

"How's your head?"

"It's fine…"

He let a moment pass, then said "I'll give you a lift home, okay? Your set to go." He indicated the checkout counter and the nurse waved to Calleigh as though to say 'Your fine'. Calleigh didn't exactly have a choice, she led the way to Horatio's Hummer.

As they were driving, both of them were mostly silent. Horatio reminded her that she couldn't sleep because of the head wound and once she had assured him she wouldn't for the 20th time he finally asked what had happened. Before answering, she bit her lip and thought, trying to figure out what she could say.

"I don't know Horatio… I just guess that I lost my train of thought and wasn't paying attention."

"The woman who hit you was deeply concerned. I assured her you'd be alright." She nodded, staring out the window "The man whom you hit however…" She turned to Horatio, who didn't turn back "There's a possibility he may file a law suit."

"Figures…" she muttered, and turned away.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." she said. The events of the day and the emotions they had caused were all catching up to her now. She leaned on the window, her face buried in her hand, and softly began to cry. Horatio put a reassuring hand on her back.

Once he pulled up to her apartment, she wiped her face of the tears and undid her seat belt, she was about to thank him when he said "We're here for ya Calleigh." She smiled and nodded, letting herself out of the car, and into her apartment. He didn't drive away until she was inside.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Authors Note: _**_So I really hate having to do these because I feel it takes away from the story but I just wanted to clarify some things; the years between the events in 2008 and the present time in the story is four years, I made a mistake in the first chapter saying it was six._

**_lastly, please review! I'd love to know whether or not the writing is good or bad [: keep enjoying!_**

Horatio had called for another brief meeting of the team. They met once again in the layout room, this time with the addition of Tom Loman and Frank Tripp. Eric stood by the doorway, hands in his lab coat pockets, wearing a somber expression. Horatio rubbed his temples, before saying, "So what exactly happened this morning?"

Tom spoke up, "Well some juvenile delinquent decided that they would forget human anatomy and took a dead alligator for a human."

Everyone's heads turned towards him. He just nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Okay…" Horatio said, "That's not to say we won't get any more call-outs today. Frank do you have anything…?"

"Not yet Horatio," Frank responded "But if we do, you all will be the first to know."

"Alright… So I want the three of you on stand-by. No use getting in the lab and starting work then having to leave it. Speaking of lab work, Eric, DNA samples?"

Eric straightened up, wiping the somber expression from his face "Yeah, I still have a bunch of samples to go through H."

"Okay… then just one more thing before you're dismissed. I gave Calleigh the rest of the day off. But…" they all stared at him waiting for an answer, their anticipation rising "Well, she had a accident after she left this morning."

"Oh my god, is she okay?" asked Natalia.

"Yes Ms. Boa Vista, she is doing just fine" He looked up and gave a reassuring smile to his team.

* * *

><p>She sat on her couch, finding the warmth from the mug in her hands calming. She grabbed another tissue and wiped the tears from her face. She had let herself cry, there was no use in fighting it. She had made herself some tea, grabbed a box of tissues, and sat on the couch. She'd been sitting there for about 20 minutes now. She knew why she was upset, it wasn't that she was confused about that. What she was confused about was the fact she reacted the way she did. Sure it made sense, but being in law enforcement, she's been in a lot of close call situations, and why was it that when she picked at this particular one, it felt like she was killing herself?<p>

Tired from crying, she put down her mug and fell asleep on her couch. She woke up a few hours later, made herself another mug of tea, then went back to sleep.

* * *

><p>It was at the end of shift and Eric was leaning against the locker, deep in thought. Horatio appeared in the doorway, sunglasses in hand, "Mr. Delko…" Eric shook his head, and focused on Horatio<p>

"Yeah what's up H?"

"How are you doing Mr. Delko? You've been keeping to yourself all day… is everything okay?"

Eric nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, just thinkin' about a lot."

"About Calleigh?" Eric's eyes snapped up to meet Horatio's eyes. Horatio had an expression of understanding, Eric nodded. "She's going to be fine Eric. She has us, remember that. She has us."

* * *

><p>She was having a nightmare about the events from 4 years ago. They had been working on a case and she got a call-out to what she thought was a lead… and then everything went downhill. She knew her team would do anything to find her, she had actually persuaded one of the kidnappers to turn himself in, and she left clues for her team to find at each location where she had been taken.<p>

And yet that feeling of isolation from your team, your friends, you family… she never wanted to feel it again. Not being able to communicate, not knowing whether or not her team was close or far away… she supposed that was where most of the fear was; not knowing. Sure, she knew it also had something to do with the fact of whether or not she could stay alive… but she knew that if her team found her she'd be okay.

At the accident today… she swore she had seen him! It had to be him! Should she have told Horatio? Someone? No… it could have been her mind playing tricks on her… the only reason she had gotten into the accident was because she was paranoid about the driver behind her. It really may not have been him…

She awoke with a start, and found herself sweating. When she took a look at the clock it read 5:30 am. She stood up and got into new clothes for the day, then decided she would take a walk over to the impound lot to get her car before she went back to work that day. The impound lot was walkable, just a few miles away; and she wanted to think about how to approach Horatio today after storming out yesterday. She dressed in a white blouse and black slacks, put on her makeup, got her hand gun, badge, and made her way out of the house.

* * *

><p>As she walked down the sidewalk she took note of the environment that morning. The humidity felt heavy against her blouse, and a soft breeze blew threw her hair filling the air with a Miami tropical feeling. She smiled at the thought, then switched gears; she started to think about how she was going to talk to Horatio. As she was contemplating opening remarks, she noticed how the street and sidewalks were completely empty. <em>No big deal… it's 5 in the morning… no one's up yet… <em>then she thought she heard a branch snap behind her. She turned but no one was there; _C'mon… your making yourself paranoid…there's no one there… just keep walking…_She stopped thinking about what she was going to say to Horatio that morning and focused on getting to the impound lot.

She was there in about 20 minutes; 20 minutes of her constantly checking behind her to see if anyone was behind her. When she finally made her way to the impound lot the officer was just getting there.

"Good morning," she said to him. He smiled and held up a finger to say 'Hold on a sec', she waited until he was inside the booth and said

"What can I do for you Miss?'

"Yes please, I'm CSI Calleigh Duquesne. I had a little fender bender yesterday and my car was taken here, and I'm just here to get it back."

"Fender bender Miss?" he gestured to her head, she waved him off

"It's nothing really…"

The officer flipped through several pages on his clipboard, then double checked something on another list before saying "Your car is on Lot D…" he reached for a sheet of paper "This is a map of the entire impound lot." He took a red sharpie and marked a 'you are here' and then marked a big 'X' on another location on the map "This should help you get right there."

"Thank-you very much."

He opened up the gate for her and she made her way inside. She was almost regretting her decision for coming in so early… the eerie silence was starting to creep her out, and now and then she would hear a dog barking. She walked through lots A, B, and C until she finally saw a beat up sign that said "Lot D". She looked up and down the lines and rows of cars looking for hers, but couldn't find it.

Then she saw it… but something was wrong. There was a great pool of some sort of liquid coming out from underneath it. She got down to her knees to look at the bottom of the car, _Transmission fluid…damn_. She started to stand back up when all of a sudden a horrifyingly familiar voice whispered into her ear "Remember me?" she started to turn around but a large hand with a cloth clamped over her mouth and nose. She tried to fight back but found the fumes were too strong and she slowly lost consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5 AN CORRECTION

_**Author's Note: **Guess what guys? I uploaded thwe wrong chapter last time! THIS is the COMPLETED one! I am so sorry!_

It was so dark, and there wasn't a shed of light anywhere. Her head felt heavier then the rest of her body, and she felt the need to sit up to clear out her vision that was foggy, then again what was the point of doing that, seeing as how it was pitch black wherever she was? She was breathing through her nose… she couldn't breathe through her mouth, something was blocking her. She went to move her hands to wipe her eyes but found they were tied behind her back. By the way her wrists stung a bit when she tried to move them again she guessed it was duct tape. She tried to move her legs and got the same result. What the hell had happened? The last thing she remembered was going to get her car… the 2-mile walk to the impound lot… talking with the officer… she finally found her car, but something was wrong with it, then a voice.

She closed her eyes tightly, begging herself not to believe it. But she knew it had happened, and she needed to find a way out of the situation.

* * *

><p>"I it just me or are we having these team meeting a lot more often than usual?" asked Tom. He was with the CSIs in the layout room as they waited for Horatio and Tripp.<p>

"You know Tom," started Ryan "We could be having these meetings regularly, and just recently decided to invite you."

Natalia and Walter laughed at Tom's surprise and confusion. Eric wasn't paying any attention, he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night. Then Ryan said "Hey where's Calleigh?" and Eric's head came up,

"I don't know" he said "H said he gave her the rest of the day off yesterday…"

"What about today?" asked Natalia.

"He didn't say anything about today."

Walter shrugged, "Maybe she just needed another day."

Natalia got her phone out, "I'm going to give her a call, just in case." she punched in the number, after a moment she ended the call "She didn't answer."

"Did she have her car with her after the accident yesterday?" Ryan asked.

"No," Walter said "Horatio said he gave her a ride home."

"So her car might be at the impound lot, right?" They all shrugged and nodded in agreement, "Well then call the impound lot and see if she's picked up the car."

Natalia made her way to the door, "Be right back. I'm going to go get the impound lot's number."

There was very little conversation while she was gone, and as she came back into the room she was dialing the number, everyone grew quiet.

"Yes, hi. My name is Natalia Boa Vista and I was wondering if someone came by to pick up a car off your lot today. Yes, her name is Calleigh Duquesne… she may have identified herself as a CSI." She paused listening to who was on the other line, "Uh huh… Oh?... But she didn't…? Okay. Thanks, yeah I'd appreciate that." She hung up the phone… "He said that she showed up near 6 am… she went in to get her car but she never came out."

"It's 7 right now…" said Walter.

"Should we be worried?" asked Tom.

"I'm not sure." Natalia said.

"Ms. Boa Vista…" Horatio had appeared in the doorway, "What aren't you sure about?"

They explained what they had just learned and Horatio looked up at his team and said "You're right… we should be concerned. Let's go."

"Where are we going?" asked Walter.

"The impound lot."

* * *

><p>She felt as though she had been driving for hours. Her muscles ached and she longed to stretch… then all of a sudden the car lurched to a stop and she rolled across the base of the trunk. She heard a car door open and slam, and she braced herself, breathing slowly. Then a light blinded her and before she could react she felt herself being pulled out of the trunk, and she slammed onto the ground. Her body ached from the impact on the concrete, shapes began to form and she was able to see her surroundings. But before she could make out any details, she felt something come into contact with the side of her head, and she felt a large amount of searing pain before she lost consciousness for the second time.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: **remember to read the newly updated chapter 5, my mistake I messed it up! Enjoy and keep reviewing please!_

Natalia drove one Hummer, Ryan in the seat beside her, Horatio drove the other Hummer, Walter riding with him, and Eric rode with Tripp. When the three cars pulled up the officer at the gate went up to Natalia's window,

"Ms. Boa Vista?"

She nodded and flashed her ID, "I'm here with the rest of my team and my team leader, Lieutenant Horatio Caine."

The officer waved them in, and the team made their way to Lot D. The officer had put an orange cone up as a suggestion to where to stop (he figured that since they were CSIs they would treat it as a crime scene). They piled out of their cars, and made their way past the cone. Horatio put on his sunglasses saying "Find anything ladies and gentlemen. Any small details."

Just three minutes later Walter called out, "Over here!" The team made their way over and saw Walter standing by a pool of red liquid coming out from the car, "This is her car right?" he asked.

"Yeah…" Eric said.

Tripp put his hands on his hips, "Looks like something got busted under the car…"

Ryan finished his thought "After it was already taken here."

"Yes," Horatio said "Eric, go get your kit so we can get a sample, it's most likely transmission fluid…" Eric made a quick retreat to the car "If this was done on purpose… Calleigh may have bent down to see the problem correct?"

Realization dawned upon Natalia "Oh my god…"

"Remind you of something, Ms. Boa Vista?"

"Four years ago… the ambush Horatio…"

"Yes but this time he didn't have a partner…"

"And the odds played in his favor" Ryan added, "With the car accident. He got lucky…"

"So he's got her." No one had noticed Eric's return. The expression on his face was indefinable. A mix of sadness, anger, guilt, and regret. "McAdams has Calleigh."

* * *

><p>Her head throbbed when she regained consciousness. She blinked several times to clear her vision, and when she was able to make out her surroundings she wished she had just kept her eyes shut. A man sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room, the man who was all to familiar. McAdams had changed his appearance a bit since the last time she had seen him… when she testified against him. She had thought that would be the last day she would ever see him. And yet here she was staring into his eyes yet again.<p>

"Long time… no see."

She tried to sit up, but when she lifted her head her vision became immediately blurry again, and she hit the floor once more.

"Yeah… I might have given you a concussion earlier than I intended… believe me when I say I'm more angry about it than it is painful to you. I wanted to take small steps in our time together."

She breathed in and out slowly, telling herself to stay calm and not panic… even though she knew the situation was hard to not panic in. She looked up again and her heart jumped; McAdams was inches away from her face "You see… you ruined my life bitch. I have nothing else to lose, so when I got sprung I knew exactly what I wanted… no. Needed to do. I don't care what happens after this…" He brushed her hair behind her ear and his hand made her way down to her chin where he grabbed it violently, again making her heart race as it was unexpected "Because after this… there's nothing left to do in my life. You ruined all possibilities of what I could do." He released his grip and her jaw smacked against the floor "I'm going to make you feel the pain, you caused me."

He stood up and walked out of the room. Calleigh held back the tears that were brimming behind her eyes, she tasted blood in her mouth.

* * *

><p>Calleigh's car was in the CSI lab garage, Walter was lying on the floor under it, inspecting the bottom of the car. He didn't hear Natalia come in<p>

"You got anything?" she asked.

Startled he hit his head as he tried to sit up while still under the car. He finally stood up his wrist up to his head, "Ow!" he exclaimed "Little bit of a warning next time Nat?"

"I am so sorry, are you ok?" She went over and examined his forehead.

"No. No I am not okay. The only thing I found out is that it looks like someone literally took a drill to this car and made a hole so that the transmission fluid would flow out."

He took off his latex gloves and threw them down. Before he could leave the room though Natalia put a comforting hand on his shoulder,

"Hey… I know this is tough to watch and be a part of okay? We all want Calleigh to be alright."

"It's so damn frustrating Natalia." he said, "We don't even have a clue as to where she is. I wasn't there four years ago… but I heard what happened. He was really close to putting a bullet in her brain… and now…" He shook his head and left the room. Natalia's heart sank in her chest, she knew he was right. They needed to find Calleigh, and they needed to find her soon.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note: **well its another weekend over, and I'm not really able to update during the week. hope you enjoy this chapter! please please please review!_

Horatio was at a loss, for the very first time in his life. And he hated it. His team had examined the little evidence they had and it led them nowhere. Eric confirmed the liquid coming from the car was the transmission fluid, and Walter had found the hole in the bottom of the car that proved a drill of sorts was taken to it. When Horatio asked, "Can we tell what kind of drill Walter?"

Walter answered "No… the guy literally drilled out his tool marks so that the hole was literally a perfect circle. We got nothing H."

The surveillance video of the front gate at the impound lot also gave them nothing, they had no idea how McAdams had gotten in the lot. He knew she was a fighter, and she would hold on until the bitter end. But he couldn't help but think… how much time would they have?

He came back into the room, a bag in his hand. She saw flashes of what might be in the bag, and her heart sped up.

"You know…" he said "When I was in the joint… the first day I was there, a fight broke out." He flipped a switch on an object and a jolt of electricity was visible. She assumed it must have been a taser of sorts. He flipped the switch off, "I wouldn't give my breakfast to another guy… so he beat the shit out of me." He locked eye contact with her "You know what that feels like? To have someone beat the shit out of you, just because you won't give him food?" Out of nowhere, he punched her in the chest, she caved in and found she couldn't breathe, she hadn't been expecting it.

"I've been waiting to be on the other side of that situation… someone else being the vulnerable one." He stood up and looked down at her "And you know what? This is a perfect time." After that he grabbed her under her arm pits and stood her up. He punched her in the face over and over, her nose began to bleed along with her lip, one hit that collided with her skull sent her down to the ground again. He proceeded to kicking her in the abdomen. One after another, he just repeatedly kicked her. Then his shoe collided with her face and everything went black for a moment.

She finally opened her eyes again, and saw him looking at her, he was panting, his knuckles bloody, utter disgust on his face. He took out a pocket knife and cut the tape binding her ankles, he then reached for the taser and flipped the switch again, "See ya soon bitch." He plunged it into her chest and she shook uncontrollably as the electricity traveled through her body, then she was out yet again.

"Someone here to see you Horatio." Tripp said.

Horatio turned on his heel to see the officer from the impound lot, "Officer," he said "What can I help you with?"

"I understand you haven't found anything to help you find your CSI," he started "You checked the surveillance videos and couldn't find the guy?"

Horatio nodded "That is correct."

"There's a back entrance." he said.

Horatio froze, "What was that?"

"It's not open to the public. It's chained up, but after I heard you didn't know how the guy got in, I checked the gate and someone took a bolt cutter to the lock. I sealed off the area in case you people want to get over there."

"Thank-you officer, Frank…" Tripp just nodded and made his way out of the room. Horatio and the officer just stood there not saying anything, then the officer said

"I hope this is of use to you. I had just met Ms. Duquesne but she seemed like a lovely young woman. Very kind, she just seemed worried. I hope you find her lieutenant."

_Me too son… _he thought _Me too…_

Natalia and Ryan were back at the impound lot, snapping photos of the sealed off area that the officer had created for them. A broken rusted old lock lay on the ground with a almost identical rusted chain.

"We just got seriously lucky." Ryan said.

"What is it?" Natalia asked.

"One set of shoe prints." He put down a marker and took some more pictures "Hopefully we can identify them."

"One set coming in… one set coming out." She noted.

Ryan stood up straight, "We have something, Natalia. We might actually have something."

"Lets hope he made more than one mistake."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Authors****Note:**please review! I'd love to know whether or not the writing is good or bad [: keep enjoying!_

She felt extremely sore, and she could tell that certain parts of her body had swelled up. In the dim light she took a look at the damage she could see. Purple and brown patches were appearing on her body, small bloody cuts too. She moved her legs slowly, they ached but she could move them. She put her mouth to her shoulder and started rubbing to try to get the tape off. It stung and it made her want to stop but she kept pulling until some of her mouth was exposed. She started breathing through her mouth again, and purposefully breathed hard so that she would create moisture on the remainder of the tape so it would be easier to get off. Finally the tape rested on her shoulder, completely off of her mouth, and at that point the door opened again.

She braced herself for his reaction, she was pretty sure he had a handle on the situation and he wasn't a psychopath. Then again, she found herself defending the man who had abducted her for a second time. He froze when he saw she had removed the tape from her mouth, she didn't say anything, she figured she'd let him be the first to speak. After a moment he shook his head and proceeded into the room,

"I'm not even gonna ask." He said. He dragged a chair along with his bag of instruments and made his way over to where she was and sat a few feet away, "I'm not inhumane… I'll let ya talk. I know ya wanna."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that Seth…" she started, "I already know why you're doing this, so I don't have to ask that question." Her sweet southern voice stayed strong and did not falter.

"That so bitch?" They stared at one another for a while, "You now… until I was arrested and your, cop friends came and rescued you… you didn't even know my name…"

He left his statement to hang in the air. He staring at the wall, not saying anything.

"It's not too late you know." she said.

"'Hell you talkin' bout?"

"I know you think you have nothing to live for…" she looked up at him, "But everyone has something to live for."

He made a "Pff" sound and shook his head looking away "Well not me, I lost it all." He turned back towards her "And I blame you."

* * *

><p>"Size 10 men's shoe size." Ryan stated. "And not prison issued so I'm going to check records with local shoe stores who sold this type of shoe… the tread does not look worn."<p>

A nearby tech gave him a strange look, "Who are you talking too?"

Ryan opened his mouth to say, but then realized he had thought aloud, "Myself." He responded. The tech made a quick retreat out of the lab. Natalia ran inside,

"We just hit the jackpot Ryan. _The _jackpot."

"Why? What's going on?" She held up bolt cutters and a drill, both in evidence bags, his mouth dropped "No way… how? Where?"

"Hidden in the trunk of another car."

"How'd you find that out?"

"Guy came to pick up his car today, popped open the trunk and found the tools, called the lot."

"Prints?"

"No need, we're going right to the source." He gave her a puzzled look, she couldn't help but smirk, she pointed to something in the bag "Tools are from a privately owned tool store. Eric's on his way there right now to flash McAdam's picture."

"Dang we're on a roll."

"I am not complaining."

* * *

><p>"Do you recognize these tools?" Eric flashed two photos of the bolt cutters and drill.<p>

"Yeah…" said the cashier "Same guy bought both things. Why?"

Eric reached for the picture of McAdams "Is this the guy?"

"Yeah, yeah that's him. Kinda off if ya know what I mean. He in some kind of trouble?"

Eric ignored him, "What'd he pay with?"

"Cash."

_Damn… _Eric thought.

"If it helps… he bought out nearly one of everything from my discount section. Tape, wire, screw drivers, nails, you name it he bought it."

"He didn't mention to say what for… did he?"

"No… but he promised he'd be back soon. Said he needed more supplies."

Eric's heart began to race, he had a sudden thought "You got any security cameras in here?" The owner pointed up, Eric almost smiled, "Could I ask a favor?"

* * *

><p>"Do you know… how sharp a screw driver is?" She didn't respond. He was taunting her and she knew it. "Pretty sharp… but you know what, it's not the same as a shank." He walked over to her, screw driver in hand, "My cell mate shanked me. I was asleep, I didn't do anything to him. Turns out he was just bored." He grabbed her pant leg and pulled so that it stretched far, then he put the screw driver through it so that a hole was now evident in her pants. "Let me tell you… it hurts like hell."<p>

He didn't plunge it into her skin, no, he used it as though it were a knife. He slit her leg where he had just made the hole in her pants. "Stings don't it?" She had bitten her lip to prevent herself from crying out. He made a hole on her blouse sleeve, and proceeded to cut her arm from the shoulder to the elbow. She felt her shirt stick to the blood that was pouring out. "Loss of blood makes you feel weak you know." he said, "You find out your unable to prevent anything that may happen after you've lost a certain amount of blood." He cut the tape on her hands, "You'll find out what that feels like soon."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Authors****Note:**please review! I'd love to know whether or not the writing is good or bad [: keep enjoying!_

The team had a van set up around the corner from the tool shop. They had, had some techies work on the security cam so that the screens in the van was receiving the footage from the store. Natalia and Eric were staring at the screen, in hopes of McAdams showing up.

* * *

><p>She was feeling extremely weak, and she hated herself for it. She was trying to put pressure on the car on her arm by leaning up against the wall, but she doubted that it was helping. He came back in the room, and she cursed herself for wishing he would just kill her. He had a hammer in her right hand, "Feeling weak yet bitch?" He put a hand on one of her legs and without warning, he brought the hammer down onto her knee, and then her foot. "Bet that broke a few toes." He grabbed her by the hair and forced her down onto both knees, she cried out landing on the already injured knee.<p>

"Sucks doesn't it? Not being able to fight back?" She looked up at him with a pained look on her face, "See my cellmate, he actually did something different, but quite frankly, I'm just so damn angry at you, I couldn't bring myself to what he did. I guess this'll just have to do." He pushed her to the ground and repeatedly hit her with the hammer on her thighs and abdomen. After about 3 minutes he threw the hammer aside and left saying over his shoulder "I'll be back." She let her tears flow from the pain she was enduring, she just wanted it all to end.

* * *

><p>McAdams made his way into the store about 4 hours into the stakeout. They knew something was wrong immediately. The store owner looked up at the camera in a shady way, then pulled a box out from the counter and had McAdams lean over the counter so the team couldn't see what was in the box. A few minutes later McAdams left the store with the box.<p>

"I'm calling Horatio." Eric said.

"I'm going to try to find out what was in the box."

She made her way into the store, he waved his hand "We're closing Miss CSI…"

"Yeah sure you are, whats in the box?"

"What now?"

"You just sold something in a box to Seth McAdams, I want to know what you sold him."

"How do you know it wasn't just a box?"

She gritted her teeth "I've been patient with you… but I'm going to count to three and you better told me what you sold that psychopath or else I'm going to make your life a living hell."

He loomed that over, and then finally said "A gun."

* * *

><p>When she heard the door open next she was lying on the ground. "Our time's almost up bitch." He knelt next to her and she stared into his eyes, "Your team was watching me at the store, it's only a matter of time until they're here." He pulled a gun from his pocket, and Calleigh closed her eyes "Too bad we didn't have a longer time together."<p>

He cocked the gun and stood up. That's when she used whatever energy she had left to take him down. She swung her legs and collided with his sending him to the ground, the gun slid across the floor and without hesitation she crawled to it and picked it up. She turned and aimed to see McAdams reaching for her. She pulled the trigger, not once but three times. McAdams was about to land on top of her but she rolled over just in time.

She lay there, gun in hand, not believing it was over. She heard sirens in the distance.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Authors Note: **well, I hoped you liked it! I wish there'd be an episode like this…anywho I've had fun writing it. I HOPE I HAVE FINISHED IT THE RIGHT WAY! Hope to write more in the future! _

So there she sat, arm in a sling, swollen body parts, stiches in her head, she felt like a pin cushion. Also an emotional wreck on account of having to relive the events. She was glad she wouldn't have to go on the stand anymore, and she'd just watch the rest of the trial unfold.

Testimonies from Internal Affairs, supporting the fact that the shooting was in fact self defense (it was the first time she felt like IA was in fact on her side). Testimonies from Horatio and Eric, supporting her statement of how they had come in just moments after the shooting, the world seemed to be on her side. And yet in the pit of her heart she carried a dead weight feeling of dread. To her it wasn't about the verdict… she had killed someone, taken their own life, and she knew it would haunt her forever. Even though the man had been trying to kill her.

Over the next few days, her team comforted her assuring her the jury would be on her side. She went to her scheduled appointments with her therapist, some visits were unscheduled and she just ended up going to see him to vent. She had done a whole lot of crying that week, and she was ready to put everything behind her.

Then the day came when the two lawyers made their closing statements and the jury was told to reach their verdict. It took them more than 4 hours before they all filed back into the court room.

"Jury have you reached a verdict?" asked the judge.

"We have your honor." responded the foreman.

"On the count of murder, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant, Calleigh Duquesne, not guilty."

"The city of Miami thanks the jury for their service. Ms. Duquesne you are free to go. We are adjourned." The gaval made a crack through the room. There was shuffling as people stood up and started to leave. Calleigh shook hands with her lawyer and breathed a sigh of relief, she didn't leave her chair.

The only people left in the courtroom now were Calleigh, Natalia, Ryan, Walter, Eric, and Horatio. Horatio stood by the entrance, as the rest of the team made their way over to Calleigh.

"Hey Cal," said Natalia.

"Congrats on your verdict." Ryan added.

"You make it sound like they might've said guilty." Walter said.

"Naw Calleigh… we knew they'd give you not guilty."

She smiled "Oh really Ryan?" They all laughed and Horatio smiled. Walter helped Calleigh stand up, and they walked with her as she limped to the door.

"Drinks on me." Ryan said.

Calleigh stopped at the door, "I'll be right there." The team filed out and she was with Horatio, "Lieutenant."

"It's Horatio Ms. Duquesne."

"Calleigh then." she said. They laughed at their playful banter. Horatio wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned on him as he helped her out of the courtroom.

"Thank-you Horatio…" she started

"No need to thank me Calleigh, we wouldn't be the same without you…"

"I'm sure you'd all be fine."

"I'd beg to differ ma'am. I'd beg to differ."

They made their way out of the building, and the team gave her comforting smiles.


End file.
